Mushroom Asparagus Risotto

Dried porcini mushrooms

We always take at least one extra, empty suitcase when we travel to Italy.  We need something to hold the olive oil,  cantuccini biscotti for Audrey, salumi, cheese, coffee, pasta, rice for risotto, and honey.  And the dried porcini mushrooms.  I love their earthy flavor and use them to add depth to risotti, soups, stews, pot roasts and stuffings.  The ones I find in the shops outside Italy always seem to be mostly dust and powder, like they’ve been left in someone’s back pocket for a week.

I don’t usually do product reviews (you know, where companies send writers product to try in the hopes that said writer will write prettily about said product).  But a woman desperate for dried shrooms is, by definition, desperate.  So I took a walk on the dark side and tried a dried wild Pacific Northwest mushroom sampler from Marx Foods.  And yes, they sent me the mushrooms at no cost.  Full disclosure and all that.

The dried mushroom sampler included porcini, chanterelle, morel, black trumpet, lobster and (a new one to me) matsutake mushrooms.  The porcini were indeed lovely – generous slices with no dusty, crumbly bits.  When reconstituted, they had a rich, meaty flavor and performed admirably in a vegetable risotto.  I’m looking forward to tasting the rest of the sampler, especially the pretty, coral-colored lobster mushrooms.

As for Marx Foods, I’ve had a chance to check our their website and I think this could be dangerous.  The company opened a butcher shop in Brooklyn in 1895 and has grown to be a bulk supplier of specialty meat and foods to restaurants and home cooks in the US, Canada, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.  (Islanders like me with a mail service in Florida or the USVI can receive their non-perishable items that way.  We’re out of luck as far as the fresh stuff goes, I think.)

Marx stocks both fresh and dried mushrooms (morels are in season now!), rice, cheeses, salumi, chile peppers, and a host of other foodstuff, much of it wild, free range and/or organic.  Their meat offerings include free range veal, elk, bison, Kobe beef, rabbit, frog legs and a personal favorite, wild boar.  When I’m in North Carolina this summer I’ll definitely order some wild boar and make one of the best pasta dishes ever invented - pappardelle al cinghiale. 

At the end of the day, I suppose my bottom line in terms of product reviews is simple:  would I buy this product?  Would I fork over my own money for it?  The answer here is most definitely yes.  I have to say I think Marx Foods is a happy discovery, though potentially an expensive one.  When I run out of my supply of Italian porcini mushrooms (grazie Barbara!), I’ll definitely order a new batch of Pacific Northwest porcini from Marx.

Mushroom Asparagus Risotto

Mushroom Asparagus Risotto

You can substitute veggie stock for the chicken stock for an earthy vegetarian entree.  Sometimes I omit the asparagus and garnish the risotto with fresh mushrooms that have been sautéed in a little butter or olive oil.  The amount of stock you need may vary depending on the rice and how wet you like your ristotto.  If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, continue with some hot water.

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
6 cups light chicken stock, Italian brodo or vegetable stock
1 cup hot water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small shallots, peeled and minced
2 cups rice for risotto (Carnaroli, Vialone Nano or Arborio)
1 bunch thin asparagus
1/2 cup dry white wine
a handful of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (about a cup) plus more for garnish

Soak the dried mushrooms in the hot water for half an hour.  Strain and reserve the mushrooms and the water separately.  Bring the stock to a simmer and keep warm over low heat.  Cut the woody stem ends from the asparagus and cut the spears into 1-1/2″ lengths.  Reserve the cut stalks and steam the asparagus tips until they’re just cooked through.

Put the olive oil in a heavy skillet or large pot and heat over medium heat until it’s warm.  Add the shallot and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften.  Don don’t let them brown.  Add the rice to the pan and stir so all the rice gets coated with oil.  Stir in the asparagus stalks and a teaspoon of salt and cook for about 2 minutes.

Turn the heat up to medium high and add the wine.  Cook until the wine is almost cooked away then begin adding stock with a ladle, 1 or 2 ladlefuls at a time.  You want to let each addition reduce and let the rice absorb the liquid.  Add stock as each addition of stock is reduced and absorbed.   Keep going with the stock until the rice is soft and creamy but still retains a good bit of texture in the middle.  You don’t want rice pudding.

When the rice is cooked to your liking, add one more ladle of stock and the handful of cheese.  Stir to incorporate the cheese and check for seasoning.  Serve immediately, garnishing each portion of risotto with some of the asparagus tips and a little grated parmigiano reggiano.  This amount of risotto will generously serve 6-8 as a starter or 4-6 as a main course.

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